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Mount Vesuvius is the volcano that erupted in 79AD and buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing many residents, some of whom are still somberly present today. Mount Vesuvius itself, looked very much like other volcanoes we had seen, with a few steaming vents inside the inner crater. Its amazing tranquility very much disguises its true power.

From Ercolano, just outside the train station, we boarded a bus to go up to Mount Vesuvius. It costs 20EU/adult and 10EU/child. These tickets included admission to Mount Vesuvius itself. The first bus made its trip up at 9:45am. We took the bus in the afternoon, in hopes of being able to catch a view of the Bay of Naples. Unfortunately, the fog did not clear. The bus ride up was about one hour up a winding stretch of road. Once the road ended, it was a short hike up to the crater. The trail was covered in lose rock, so wear good walking shoes. The temperature was a lot cooler on the mountain compared to Ercolano, which helped keep us cool for the walk up. The walk down felt a little chilly, so it might be a good idea to bring a jacket. Be sure to look for the steaming vents in the crater, a reminder that Mount Vesuvius is very much an active volcano. On a side note, there are supposed to be buses leaving for Mount Vesuvius from Pompei, but each day we saw a sign at the Circumvesuviana station that said that “Buses to Mount Vesuvius - not running today”.

Mount Vesuvius - steaming vents in inner crater behind us

Mount Vesuvius - a view of the outer crater from the hike to the inner crater